Prof. Dr. Andreas Hiltbrunner (CIBSS-AI), Institute Biology II - Developmental of Molecular Plant Physiology (Faculty of Biology), University of Freiburg
Nitrogen availability is a limiting factor for plant growth. Legumes like Lotus japonicus circumvent this problem by symbiotic interaction with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia. Nevertheless, legumes need to balance the benefits and costs of this interaction, as the symbiosis is an energy demanding process. Therefore, legumes tightly control the formation of root nodules, where the symbiosis takes place. In CIBSS project C1 we investigate how environmental conditions such as light and temperature control nodulation in Lotus japonicus. We want to characterise photoreceptors and downstream signalling factors involved in environmental control of nodulation and identify the postulated shoot-to-root signal that communicates light and temperature conditions in the environment to roots.
Publication resulting from the project:
Phytochrome A Mediates the Disassembly of Processing Bodies in Far-Red Light.
Schwenk P, Hiltbrunner A.
Front Plant Sci. 2022; doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.828529